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Voiding pattern in healthy children 0 to 3 years old: a longitudinal study
U B Jansson1, M Hanson, E Hanson
1Urotherapeutic Unit, Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
Insights
Bladder control and voiding patterns develop significantly in the first three years of life. Voiding frequency decreases, while bladder capacity increases, indicating maturation of bladder function in healthy children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Urology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Child Health
Background:
- Understanding bladder control development is crucial for pediatric health.
- Normal voiding patterns and bladder capacity establish during early childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the development of voiding patterns and bladder control in healthy children.
- To track changes in voiding frequency, bladder capacity, and residual urine volume over the first three years of life.
Main Methods:
- A 4-hour voiding observation method was used noninvasively.
- Voiding patterns, bladder capacity, and post-void residual urine were assessed every 3 months in 59 healthy infants.
- Data collected from 36 female and 23 male infants.
Main Results:
- Voiding frequency decreased from 5 to 2 episodes per 4 hours between 3 months and 3 years.
- Interrupted voiding was common at 3 months but rare after 2 years; sleep voiding ceased by 18 months.
- Bladder capacity increased significantly, and post-void residual urine volume decreased by year 3.
Conclusions:
- Healthy children demonstrate progressive maturation of bladder function during the first three years.
- Key indicators of bladder maturation include reduced voiding frequency, increased bladder capacity, and improved bladder emptying.
Purpose:
We describe the development of voiding patterns and bladder control in healthy children during the first 3 years of life.
Materials And Methods:
We determined voiding patterns, bladder capacity and post-void residual urine volume per 4 hours individually and noninvasively every 3 months in 36 female and 23 male healthy infants using the 4-hour voiding observation.
Results:
Voiding frequency decreased slowly from 5 to 2 voiding episodes per 4 hours from ages 3 months to 3 years. We noted interrupted voiding in 33% of subjects at age 3 months but this condition was rare after age 2 years. Voiding during sleep occurred mainly during the first 7 months of life and did not continue after age 18 months. Bladder capacity increased from a median of 52 to 67, 68 and 123 ml. during years 1 to 3, respectively. As measured by post-void residual urine volume, bladder emptying was unchanged during years 1 and 2 but it decreased during year 3 (median 6 versus 0 and mean 4 versus 3 ml. per 4 hours).
Conclusions:
During the first 3 years of life the number of voiding episodes, including interrupted voiding, post-void residual urine and voiding during sleep, decreased while bladder capacity increased.